


carbonation.

by kobusrain



Series: Pink-Orange Hues [1]
Category: Ame no Mori Kawa Umi/雨ノ森 川海, BEYOOOOONDS (Band), Hello! Project
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Moving On, POV First Person, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 03:17:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20075251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kobusrain/pseuds/kobusrain
Summary: That day I learned that pain was as transient as the soda bubbles that I so hated.





	carbonation.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Juice=Juice's Bitansan.

I wish I could say the time I spent with her had just been my imagination. 

I started to count the days and weeks that have passed since the last time we saw one another. My phone grew quiet from her constant texts after that day, and instead I would only get sporadic LINE notifications from her. I knew she was only trying to make things less awkward, as we did promise to remain friends, but to me, everything still hurt. Maybe I’m just being my usual impulsive and childish self when it comes to my emotions, but I can’t seem to move on. 

I wanted to remove her from my life, but I just  _ can’t. _

There would be days where I would not think about her and go about my usual routine in a cheerful manner, and days where I would spend the evenings crying and being mad at myself for my own imperfections. On one of the days where the latter happened, I received a text from her. 

** _Kiyono Momohime_ **

_ 19:43 pm - Hey Miimi! Been a while. I was thinking we could meet up somewhere tonight if you’re down and not busy so yenno, we can do some catching up? _

Was I ready to face her? To be fair, that question was a no-brainer; I was never ready to face her after that day, which was why I ghosted her for the first few days. Still, I thought to myself that if I don’t face her any time soon, I would never mature and move on. The same exact thought I had when I finally decided to start talking to her again. I sighed, hesitating for a second, before I began to rapidly tap at the screen keyboard. 

** _Okamura Minami_ **

_ 19:57 pm - I’m not busy right now. Do you want to just stop by at the park near the elementary school?  _

Without waiting for her reply, I changed and left the house. I hesitated with each step, as I was still scared of meeting with her for the first time in months. What was even there to talk about? Nothing interesting had gone on in my life and I went about the same routine of getting up, going to school, going to my part-time job, and then going home. The same continuous pattern to try and keep myself busy. Eventually, I made it to the park, and Momohime was already there waiting for me by the swings. 

She looked happier than the last time we saw each other. More lively, spunkier than I remembered. “Over here, Miimi!” she called out to me, standing up from the swings and waving her arm to catch my attention. There weren’t any people in the park at such a late hour, so Momohime wasn’t garnering anyone else’s attention but mine. I tried not to sigh as I approached her, sitting on the swing next to hers. 

Momohime reached for the plastic bag sitting next to the swing set, fishing out two bottles of peach-flavoured Ramune. She handed one to me, and in that moment I only looked at her. 

Then, after a few seconds, Momohime gasped and drew her hand back. “Oh, shoot…. I forgot you don’t like carbonated drinks,” she said, biting her bottom lip in clear embarrassment. But I took the drink anyway, much to her chagrin. 

“Don’t worry about it,” I told her, popping the bottle open with a bit of difficulty. I really did dislike carbonated drinks, but at the time I probably only wanted to prove a point. To act tough in front of her when in reality, I was hurting inside. She sat back down on her swing after opening up her bottle. 

I took a sip of the drink. I did like the peach taste, but I couldn’t hide how much the carbonation hurt my throat.  _ Minami, you idiot _ , I thought to myself the moment I took a sip. Things were starting to get awkward, with Momohime not uttering a single word even though she had been the one to call me out here, so I spoke up instead. “How have you been, Momohime? Anything new lately?” 

After Momohime took a sip of her Ramune, she glanced at me and looked away within a few seconds. “Ah, well….” she began, fidgeting with the neck of the bottle. I thought she was going to remain awkward, but Momohime only grinned brightly. “I recently got a girlfriend! I think you even know who she is. Her name is Shimakura Rika.” 

I knew exactly what Momohime was trying to do. She was asking for closure. She was making sure I was fine with everything because she knew I can’t let go of things quick. 

What she’s doing is making me seem pathetic. 

“Oh, that’s good,” I only replied, taking another sip. Only this time, I took an even longer sip. This time I was able to hide the pain in my throat, but only because I toughed it out. “Yeah, I know her!” I returned the grin, though I felt my lips twitch. I wasn’t even sure if it was because of the carbonation or because what she said stung me. 

But I’m not going to let her see my pain. She was already happy, so why should I let her worry about me?

At the same time, however, what she said also gave me some sort of relief within my heart. The pain was significantly less than I had initially thought, and half of it was only because of the soda I drank. She had already moved on, and this was her way of telling me that it’s okay for me to do so as well. 

_ So I’m going to do just that _ . 

Everything else we’ve said to one another during that meeting was insignificant. It wasn’t worth remembering only because I knew I didn’t need to know about her life anymore, nor did she need to know about mine. Eventually after several more minutes of talking, Momohime left and I remained in my seat, with the half empty bottle of Ramune still in my hand. I watched as her silhouette disappear, and when it finally did, I stood up. 

The only thing I felt was relief. The pain disappeared, much like how the fizzing from the carbonation disappears after a while. I drank the rest of the Ramune, and at that point the fizz had lessened. It just didn’t hurt anymore. I took a deep breath, finally standing up and throwing the bottle away in the recycling bin.

The entire time, I had forgotten something but luckily, it was something Momohime didn’t even notice nor point out. My hand lightly traced the chain of the necklace I had forgotten to take off that evening. It was something she had given to me, but even after we parted ways months ago I still wore it everyday. 

In my mind it was the last obstacle I needed to overcome before I could start moving on. 

So I yanked it off my neck. Another wave of relief washed over me. I found myself grinning once more, this time bigger than anything I’ve ever given Momohime, before I hurled the necklace as far as I could. Across the playground it went. It didn’t matter anymore. Even if throwing it was unnecessary, it just felt right in that moment. 

That day I learned that pain was as transient as the soda bubbles that I so hated. 

I walked away, knowing that the next day would be better. 


End file.
